The High Court of the United Kingdom has decided to freeze the assets of Craig Wright, a computer scientist and businessman, as revealed by recent legal filings.

In response to a petition from podcaster Peter McCormack, the court issued a worldwide freezing order (WFO) aimed at recovering McCormack’s legal expenses. McCormack informed his 543,000 followers on the social media platform X that the order had frozen assets totaling approximately £1.54 million ($1.9 million) belonging to Wright, potentially allowing him to recoup his legal fees.

Justice James Mellor, in his verdict, stated, “Wright exploited defamation laws to silence critics who disputed his claims of being Satoshi Nakamoto. I am convinced that Mr. McCormack has a compelling case, with strong grounds to recover costs amounting to £1.548 million.”

For years, Wright has asserted himself as Satoshi Nakamoto, the pseudonymous creator of Bitcoin. However, a judge ruled in March that substantial evidence disproves Wright’s claim to be Satoshi or the originator of the Bitcoin (BTC) white paper, the foundational document of the digital currency.

Wright had filed a libel lawsuit against McCormack, host of the What Bitcoin Did podcast, after McCormack labeled Wright a “fraud” for contesting his assertion as Bitcoin’s creator.

For more updates, subscribe to receive email alerts directly to your inbox, and follow us on X, Facebook, and Telegram.

[Image Credit: Midjourney]